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Rating:
9.0 |
Sacred Reich - Ignorance
1987
01. Death Squad
02. Victim Of Demise
03. Layed To Rest
04. Ignorance
05. No Believers
06. Violent Solutions
07. Rest In Peace
08. Sacred Reich
09. Administrative Decisions
Ignorance has remained to be one of those often unnoticed releases of the 80's, while remaining to also be a hidden treasure to those not strictly familiar with the house names of the Thrash scene.
The cover artwork is presented here is reminiscent of the much later (and sensationalised) disaster of 9/11. This is a surprise, although it's more than possible that there would be other references based on the inclusion of the plane and the explosion (the latter possibly relating to the violence and war lyrics). It does however provide a nice insight to what awaits the listener.
Vocalist Phil Rind delivers the lyrics with coarse and spiteful pronunciation/singing to accompany the furious, yet still accessible guitar work of Wiley Arnett. There's no doubt parallels can be drawn between Rind's and Slayer's Tom Araya, concerning their voices. To further prove this omnipresent similarity, Rind once confessed that Sacred Reich were inspired by Slayer, so no surprises here, besides the wallop of energy contained within Rind's voice throughout the duration of the album.
Pessimism bleeds from the lyrical content of Ignorance, through the use of political commentary, historical references and violent happenings; however, this does not detract from the overall experience. Instead, the use of such lyrics enhances the feel and direction of the album, encourage the listener to engage themselves in Rind's rants.
Arnett's playing style is definitely creative, with regards to the existent Thrash scene at the time, incorporating a somewhat surf rock approach at times, such as a intricate picking in "Violent Solutions", yet also following trends with more linear riffs, as expressed in tracks such as "Death Squad" or the self-titled "Sacred Reich".
Arnett's ability to convey different emotions and sounds is occasionally comparable to other Thrash bands of the time such as Testament and Slayer (Once again). Similarities to Testament exist in the haunting (and grammatically incorrect) instrumental "Layed to Rest", leading up to a climax of explosive aural pleasure, while the less complex moments (especially the majority of the riffs presented on this album) can be compared to that of Slayer (once again).
The drumming and bass lines are also not to be avoided, since they help the flow of the songs, peaking at moments where assault delivered by Rind and Arnett are temporarily reduced, allowing them to shine, expressing aggression and negativity. The latter section of "Victim of Demise" captures this perfectly, coercing the listener to engage by headbanging to the music even more.
The only negative is that the sound quality slightly below the bar, even compared to what would be high quality, crystal clear 80's sound. The production doesn't exactly tarnish the overall impression, at least it shouldn't for others. The only problem here is that it might be difficult to digest for those unfamiliar or intolerant of this aspect.
Conclusively, this album is a not far away from being a masterpiece of its time, a relic to be highly valued, praised and not overlooked by Thrash fans alike.
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Performance:
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10 |
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Songwriting:
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9 |
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Originality:
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9 |
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Production:
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8 |
written by Opium | 05.12.2007 |
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Comments
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12
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Users visited:
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Aphelion74 - 05.12.2007 at 20:42
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Your first review, congratulations, way to go Opium  |
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Regarding the cover, in the 80's there was some terrorists activities with planes, kidnapping and bombs on board, I don't recall planes smashing into buildings though,
Your review makes this album sound like a masterpiece, and hence I will check it out. |
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 GT - 05.12.2007 at 21:27
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| Pretty good review. Sounds like one hell of an album. Made me want to check it out |
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Queen Of Hippies - 05.12.2007 at 22:28
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*Claps*  . This is a good review, which should be the first of a long serie to come, I hope. But you know what I think of the band, I don't need to tell you here  . |
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Opium - 05.12.2007 at 23:19
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Written by Guest on 05.12.2007 at 20:42
Your first review, congratulations, way to go Opium
Thanks for this, it really cheered me up to see that people appreciate my review 
Really, I was that happy that I almost cried  |
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 Locke - 05.12.2007 at 23:48
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| Nice review. Never heard this one before but now I want to. |
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| this person wanted me to check out sacred reich, an after reading this review, i think i will! nice review! |
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| Ignorance is a classic album! I love it from start to finish. One of my all time favorite bands. Saw them on "The American Way" tour with Obituary and Forced Entry. Kickass show!! |
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| Violent Solutions has such a great riff |
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| Good album, even if it's a bit of a Slayer rip-off, as Phil Rind easily admits. |
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| The songs on this album are to long for their own good. The riffs are fine, but tend to be very similar, following a very similar style. They songs also tend to follow similar patterns, making the album quite dull. Slayer made a wise move with RiB to make the songs around two minutes in length. Sacred Reich should have done the same. Still, a decent album. I'd give it a 7. |
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| One of the best thrash albums ever i say. |
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